States I have visited or been through are in red...how cool is this?

Rummy Dummy

I am a rummy dummy. I hate rummy. Normally I don't like to use my blog to vent but MAN! I just gotta vent. I HATE RUMMY! Ever since I have ever played EVER in my entire life no matter how hard I try and scheme and do my best I just cannot win rummy. It all started in 7th grade against my friend Kathy...we played like ALL the time and she ALWAYS won. She would always get the big breaks and pick up the whole stack and be like "oooh, look! I have matches for everything!" Fast forward almost 20 years later to the year 2005. Matt and I got this new card game called "Canasta Caliente." And it is for lack of a better word....stu...wait I can't say that or I will get tabasco. Anyway, for those of you out there who can never win rummy either, don't ever get Canasta Caliente.

*big sigh let out all the frustration and grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*

That feels better. In the end, Jesus loves me and it's just a game so who cares, right?? (so hard for us competitive people)

Back on the Wagon

As of Monday, June 27, 2005 I am back on the Weight Watchers wagon. And I am happy to say that it is going well so far! Now granted, it's only been two days, but still...I am happy for small successes! And this time there is no getting off. I have a serious goal in mind and I am completely resolved to meet it. For our upcoming 10 year anniversary in 2007 we will be going to a resort with our friends from Missouri, Mike and Amanda. Amanda and I have made it a goal to reach our respective goal weights before that date. I know that really without the strength of the Holy Spirit I am hopeless, so if you think to pray for me, I would really appreciate it. It's weird cause never before have I been so excited to really lose the unneeded weight for good. Anyway, I was thinking about starting a weight loss blog with weight loss progress and such, but I decided that was way too embarassing. So instead, I am deciding to post weekly pictures that will show the progress. So here is week one: total weight loss to date, 0. May sound goofy, but for me it is another form of accountability and it will be a cool archive to look back upon. Anyhoo...thanks to all of you for your support! Another smaller goal for is that by next summer I can fit on all the roller coasters so I can ride them with my son. Cause man, let me just tell you as an avid roller coaster FREAK that it STINKS to be missing out!!! :-)

Well, here ya go...the tag answers you have ALL been waiting so anxiously for, I know! :-) Things I have done are in red and the ones that are bold and in black I have not done but I couldn't unbold them...hmmm

Enjoy!




01. Been an adoptive or foster parent
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula.
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said I love you and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Done a striptease
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Touched an iceberg
20. Slept under the stars
21. Changed a baby's diaper
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given more than you can afford to charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
28. Had a food fight
29. Bet on a winning horse
30. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight
33. Danced in the rain
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
35. Held a lamb
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
40. Seen a total eclipse
41. Ridden a roller coaster
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day-well, not an accent, but a name, and it was for a whole year at one of my colleges...I had everyone there call me Coley and they still do to this day...to them I am Coley Maiberger...hahaha
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
48. Had two hard drives for your computer
49. Visited all 50 states
50. Loved your job for all accounts-except for the last 6 months
51. Taken care of someone who was totally plastered
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied-k this one for me doesn't totally say it right...sure we would always like more spending money, but even without it we are truly satisfied
53. Had amazing friends-have is more accurate
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
55. Watched wild whales
56. Stolen a sign
57. Backpacked in Europe
58. Taken a road-trip
59. Rock climbing-
60. Taken pictures of complete strangers
61. Midnight walk on the beach
62. Sky diving
63. Visited Ireland
64. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
65. Bought food for a stranger
66. Visited Japan
67. Benchpressed your own weight
68. Milked a goat-no but I gave milk to a baby goat from a baby bottle
69. Alphabetized your records
70. Pretended to be a superhero
71. Sung karaoke
72. Lounged all day in bed
73. Been in a movie
74. Tried scuba diving
75. Been to Lililth fair
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud
78 Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theater
80. Have Regrets
81. Been to Tijuana
82. Discovered that someone whose not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better
84. Started a business-well I am a self employed piano teacher...does that count?
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
86. Toured ancient sites
87. Taken a martial arts class
88. Been a bully or been bullied
89. Camped out all night for a show, movie, or beanie baby
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie
92. Crashed a party
93. Loved someone you shouldn't have
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy
95. Gotten divorced
96. Breastfed more then a year
97. Gone without food for 5 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
99. Won first prize in a costume contest
100. Lied about your age
101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Eaten snake
103. Stayed somewhere different then what you told your parents
104. Had a poem published
105. Got flowers for no reason
106. Been intimate in a public place
107. Ran a red light
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage
110. Been to Las Vegas-ha this one is funny...I have been there for only 15 minutes...me and another person picked someone up from there and drove them back to LA.
111. Recorded music
112. Eaten shark
113. Shoplifted
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen The Cranberries live
116. Bought a house
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Buried one/both of your parents
119. Read every book in the Bible
120. Been on a cruise ship
121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone-ya esp if that someone is myself.
123. Bounced a check
124. Performed in Rocky Horror
125. Read - and understood - your credit report
126. Raised children-currently raising
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy-squeak-a-boo...you just have to meet it to understand
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
132. Called or written your Congress person
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
134. Ran in a marathon
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
137. Had an abortion or your female partner did
138. Had plastic surgery
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived.
140. Wrote articles for a large publication
141. Lost over 100 pounds-my goal (I second that that it is my goal!)
142. Held someone while they were having a seizure
143. Piloted an airplane
144. Petted a stingray
145. Broken someone's heart
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a T.V. game show
149. Broken a bone
150. Killed a human being
151. Gone on an African photo safari
152. Ridden a motorcycle
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph
154. Sent a message in a bottle
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Ridden a horse
158. Had major surgery
159. Had s*x on a moving train
160. Had a snake as a pet
161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Eaten kangaroo meat
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
169. Hunted an animal
170. Eaten sushi
171. Had your picture in the newspaper
172. Been in a car accident
173. Are an organ donor
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name-again, to Coley for one year
178. Ridden an elephant
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes
180. Given gifts or notes as a secret pal
181. Met an online friend
182. Bought a homeless person a meal
183. Been to Mardi gras
184. Taught yourself an art from scratch
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
187. Skipped all your school reunions
188. communicated with someone without having a shared common language
189. Been elected to public office
190. Seen a dead person that you didn't know
191. Slept on the beach
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Taken in a stray animal
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
195. Had a booth at a street fair
196: Dyed your hair
197: Been a DJ
198: Been born again
199: Watched a whole film in a foreign lanuage
200: Been arrested

I have flowers!!!!

I never thought I would see the day...at least at this address. I have a little flower garden! I can't believe it. Thanks to the help of my daddy, we have dug a 40 sq ft. hole in front of the house and planted 2 shrubs, 1 pretty yellow plant thingy, 2 purple flowers, 2 red flowers, and two white flowers. See, if I were a true gardener I could tell you all the names of them, but I have NO IDEA which are which...all I know is that they are a combination of boxwood, impatiens, daisy, and balloon flowers. Anyway, it's REALLY pretty. Then on our back steps my dad is totally re-doing the walkway from the driveway to the steps. It will look GREAT when he is done...I can't wait.

So good to catch up

Hey Ladies...and I say ladies cause I figure that most of you who read this are ladies...

Amazing how much you miss out on when you don't have a computer for 3 days!!! You are all blogging maniacs! :-) Just kidding...it was great to catch up with what has been happening in your worlds over the last three days. Mandi, I am assuming that your latest blog was in response to the one before talking about the lady in your small group with the medical stuff? That was good to hear they talked to someone.

So goodness I had a whirlwind of a 3 days! Went to Harbor Springs, MI and stayed in THE most beautiful cabin with the BCC staff and spouses. Well, cabin just doesn't do it justice...it was really a mansion...over 5000 sq. feet of knotty pine. Oh man...you just gotta see it to believe it. Anyway, it was a GREAT retreat and wonderful to just get to hang out with all of those people. Saw the traveling pants movie with Karin Malkowski. Cried most the way through. If you all decide to go see it please count me in...I will definitely go again if I can. I also got to go over the Mackinac Bridge and stand in the UP for like a minute. Took a picture and everything. The bridge was very neat-o and why does the UP look like a totally different country? Weird. Played psychiatrist with all the staff people monday night and it was a HOOT. We did a REALLY super hard one for Tom and it was SOOOOO funny. Our problem was that any question he asked us we would just answer opposite. For example:

Tom: Can I read about you in the Bible?
person: yes!
Tom: hmmm...when were you born?
person: 1945
Tom: Where do you live?
person: Maine

It was hilarious. I love getting together with the staff and just getting to laugh together and do fun things together. They are all really really really awesome people and I love their hearts for Jesus.

My parents come tomorrow, wait, today since it is now 12:55 am!!

Adios for now!

That's not frosting...

Poor Matt almost lost his breakfast today as we headed out the door to go grocery shopping...

Holding Zoe's hand he turned around to close the door. He turned around to find her other hand and face covered with white and black stuff. It looked like frosting. In a split second these thoughts go through his mind:

"Is that frosting?? What in the world is that. She's licking her hand. That's not frosting...what IS that??"

Oh yes, it was bird poop she had found on our porch. When Matt realized what it was I think he almost fainted. I was still getting ready in the bathroom brushing my teeth so I was of no help until I could get the massive glob of toothpaste foam out of my mouth. Kindof funny in retrospect, but not really. Just one of those events that you know will happen in the course of parenthood but you NEVER ever expect! :-)

I won't forget

Gabe asked me this morning if when he was 18 years old if I would teach him how to know what kind of tv shows and movies are ok for kids when he has kids. I said, yes, of course I would teach him. But he wasn't satisfied with that...he said, "please, mom, don't forget!! Maybe you could write it down so you don't forget (he is learning that I forget things often these days)." So I am writing it down on this blog so that I will never ever forget. ;-) I can't wait until Gabe is actually 18 years old and I can show this blog entry to him to remind him.

This is, in his own words, "Gabe's professional drawing" called Windows

Ewwwwwww

Ok, adding on to my last post, another thing that I have to do is SHOWER! Somehow yesterday I just skipped that part and then this morning I am going to the lake and so it seemed really pointless to take a shower at this point. Has this ever happened to any one of you and you just feel....ewwwwww. On the cheerier side, I am ecstatic to go to the lake and get out of the house for the morning! It will probably be freezing, but considering it's going to 90 degrees today, that will be ok! :-)

So really, I am surviving. Thank you Mindy, my dear fried and desktop publisher pro, for taking the certificates load. I can't wait to see them. And I also must post a huge thank you to my husband, although I am not sure he will read this, for doing the dishes and folding and putting away all the laundry AND cleaning up the toy room. Due to his help, I was able to get the driving assignments done, maps and directions printed to boot! So things are slowly feeling less chaotic.

(Daughter in the background as I am typing this)

"dowa dowa dowa di splora!
boos su ku splodowa
bapak
go
swipe no
[then quieter] o man
di SPLORA!"

"...too many irons in the fire and too much on my plate."

Random list of things going on...yes, Misty, Amy and Matt always have things going on!! Sometimes it's so much fun and other times (like now) it seems like the world is spinning out of control!!!

1. Finishing assigning drivers/students for our welcome incoming freshmen night of fun this Wednesday...lots of work, still lots of unknowns...NEED VANS!!!!!

2. Housework and laundry..always on the list...and usually they don't stress me out...just now since my attention is divided on so many other things the housework is shoved to the side...

3. Finishing preparing for my piano recital Thursday...not a lot of work, but I am having a hard time finding achievement certificates that I can give out to my students. Anyone know where they sell those things? Matt was at Staples and didn't see them, but that doesn't mean that they don't sell them.

4. Open houses

5. Going out of town for 3 days next week

6. Parents coming in town the day we get back

I am sure there is more. And all of this craziness without a summer conference. (breathe in, breathe out, breathe in , breathe out) Get back to me in a bit and I will let you know if I survived.

Checkbook blues

I'm singing the checkbook blues. Just did finances and found out both checking accounts are way below where I thought...that's not good. Matt gets paid Thursday. I barely have any piano lessons this month due to the summer. *sigh* I am not depressed...just frustrated. I will now sing this little diddy in my head:


Jehovah-Jireh my Provider
His grace is sufficient
For me for me for me
Jehovah-Jireh my Provider
His grace is sufficient for me


My God shall supply all my needs
According to His riches in glory
He gives His angels charge over me
Jehovah-Jireh cares for me for me for me
Jehovah-Jireh cares for me

There...that feels better.

Not closed dwelling places...

...ie, open houses!! They start today! The feeding frenzy over the next three weekends has begun. Outside tents, muggy weather, mostacholi, vegetables and dip and those little hot dogs in the barbeque sauce. Got to hand it to Michiganders...when they throw a party they go all out. I'm all for supporting the graduates, but I have to admit that the long parties when you go to like 12 of them are a bit insane. Maybe one day I will come around, dare say the day I become (loud gasp) a Michigander myself and I'm holding my son's open house. Holy cow. Can't even wrap my mind around that yet!!!!

Quote of the evening

"Holy Cow, mom! I need some peroxide right now..... cause this scab on my arm is about ready to fall off my arm like a leaf off a tree!"

-Gabe, 6 years old

Does Gabe:
A. Even know what peroxide really is?
B. Know what it is and think it will work on a scab?
C. Just want to be a big kid and take care of himself? :-)

The "Gallop and Slip"

Since our clubhouse pool is the same temperature as melted ice cubes, I decided to buy some outdoor water fun for the kids today: a tiny plastic pool for Zoe and a slip and slide for Gabe. After the few minutes of laboring to get the elaborate slip and slide set up (what happened to the basic yellow plastic sheet??) I encourage Gabe to give it a try. He runs to the starting point, falls to his knees and just looks at it.

"Gabe," I say, "You have to slide on your tummy all the way down to the end!"

"But it is COLD!" replies Gabe

"Well, if you slide really fast it's only cold for a second then you can get right up and not be cold"

Gabe thinks about this for a second and then backs up about 20 feet before the start of the slide. He starts running, but this time when he gets to the plastic he just keeps on running on the wet plastic and then slips in the little puddle at the end and splashing on his bottom. Thus, the "gallop and slip." And so we continued for the next half hour, galloping and slipping. :-)

In the trenches

Isn't it funny how the most psycho moments of motherhood come with absolutely no warning? Last night as I am sleepily waiting for Matt to get home from Cedar Point, I hear this awful noise coming from Gabe's room, only to find him covered in puke. Four hours and lots of puking later, his stomach finally settled down and he went to sleep. In those four hours though, as I am briskly taking sheets off, shaking them outside, etc, I somehow managed to bust my knee on the door molding, gouge my hand on the air grate on the door to our laundry room, and spray blood on the wall as I try to kill a mosquito with my gouged hand. *sigh* thankfully, Gabe has been great today, my wonderful husband let me sleep until 9:30 am and I think we are back to normal. I think it's a good thing that we don't have warning because I think I would somehow try to escape if I knew it was coming!!! But then on the flip side, there is also no warning for the wonderful moments. The "I love you, Mommy!" that comes out of nowhere...